Super Bowl halftime shows have grown into a major sports spectacle

Underneath his umbrella, NFL legend Dan Marino stood nearly drenched on the sideline watching Prince’s epic “Purple Rain” Super Bowl halftime performance in 2007 during a torrential Miami downpour.

For Marino, Prince’s iconic show was one the greatest moments in the history of halftime shows — which was once viewed as a humdrum intermission featuring college marching bands. But in time, the midway point of the NFL’s championship game has emerged into one of sport’s biggest spectacles, with superstar performances from Michael Jackson, Beyoncé, Madonna, Aerosmith and U2.

“The halftime performance has come a long way,” said the Hall of Fame quarterback who played 17 seasons with the Miami Dolphins and competed in the 1985 Super Bowl. As an NFL analyst, Marino’s had a front-row seat to several halftime shows.

“Not a lot of people really watched it,” he continued. “But now, as we head into Super Bowl 58, people love to watch the halftime show.”

In nearly six decades, the halftime festivities have transformed from a family-oriented show with patriotic tunes into entertainment’s biggest stage with top-tier performers, pyrotechnics and superb backup dancers. The 12-to-15 minute performance sometimes attracts more eyeballs than the actual championship game, consistently drawing more than 100 million viewers.

Last year, Rihanna’s performance became the most-watched in history with over 121 million viewers, barely edging Katy Perry’s 2015 show. 

“I think the live element is pretty exciting for people because it’s a massive production and there’s so many moving pieces,” said actor Scarlett Johansson, who doesn’t consider herself a football enthusiast. But she’s intrigued by the unpredictability of the halftime show like Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson’s infamous “wardrobe malfunction,” Lady Gaga dropping from a stadium roof and Rihanna’s pregnancy reveal.

“You kind of watch with nervous excitement,” Johansson said. “You know at any moment something could maybe go…


Source link : https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/super-bowl-halftime-shows-have-grown-into-major-sports-spectacle

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Publish date : 2024-01-31 17:49:13

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